Despite my initial apprehension around the cultists. I have to say, they were rather decent people. And I only say decent because all of them definitely had a loose screw somewhere. Nonetheless, to each their own, I wasn't going to judge them.

"I know you have the queen,"

"Damnit, you win,"

Of course I win, I'm a damned legend at go fish.

"Again?"

"Nah, I'm broke because of you,"

Wills, despite being a gambling addict, was absolute garbage at cards. But, I'd like to think that I'm just that good.

He ruffles his dishevelled brown hair as he hands me the last of his coin.

Counting my winnings, I'm four silver and sixty nine copper coins richer.

Nice.

I hate to say it, but I'm actually getting along with these fellows rather well, even more so than the guardsmen I worked with. They say people attract their own kind, so does that mean that I also have a screw loose?

Nah, surely not.

"So, Jeff where you come from?"

Wills asks a question as he plays around with his deck of cards.

"Hm? Oh, right. I used to work in Sharne, as a guardsman," I intone flatly.

"Sharne?" Wills seems to ponder for a while.

"Like the Sharne that just had a cultist rampage in the city square?"

"Is there another Sharne in the kingdom?"

"Guess not," he chuckles, "So am I right you're that cultist they're hunting?"

We do not assume here.

"To assume makes an ass out of you and me,"

"Uhm, so are you that cultist then?"

What a dunce.

"I am not that cultist,"

"He is that cultist," Laffer butts in.

"That’s a fat lie,"

"Sure bud, a rogue dark haired guardsman with a white feathered companion turned cultist on November 8th. Murdering and mutilating a demi human in the city square, before fleeing the city the same day,"

He sizes me up.

"I have no idea what you're talking about,"

"Feigning ignorance huh? Well, don't worry, demi humans are also our enemies, so you done a good thing,"

What? Was that a thing? I didn't know that the heretic cult also had a vendetta against demi humans. Or were they just racist?

"We aren't racist. It's just the demi humans we don't like,"

"Then aren't you racist then?"

Laffer looks like he's about to retort but stops, "Oh damn. Are we racist?"

"Nono, because the demi humans are like… y'know evil, and tradition and… yeah!"

Wills, that was a pitiful attempt. Go to that corner and reflect. Yup, that one right there.

"Anyways, we might be racist, but you're also racist unless you had another motive for that crime?"

I'd like to refute that I'm not racist, but granted the proof is in the pudding. I definitely murdered a demi human in city square for no other apparent motivation other than racism. Except…

"I was possessed it wasn't me,"

"Don't worry, I trust you buddy," He winks at me.

I'm tempted to flip the table on him.

But I calm myself…

"Hey, what are you doing?" Laffer says, swaying back.

"Hmm, just checking your reflexes,"

Damnit, how did he dodge that? I was waiting patiently to let his guard down and tried to swipe at him with my machete. Not to actually kill him, but more so to just hurt him, since a heretic cultist would find a sword through their chest or a severed limb as nothing more than a flesh wound according to the tales I’d heard.

Though I can’t help but click my tongue, looks like he wasn't kidding about being Steel ranked.

"Did you think I would kid about something like that?"

"Frankly, yes," You're a cocky showboat so why wouldn't you try to inflate your rank a little?

"Hah, well, arrogance is reserved for those who have strength, unlike you,"

Ah, yes, my strength. Or rather lack thereof, quite the soft spot he just hit. This makes me tempted to take another shot, but it'd just be an embarrassing display.

For the past few days, I was attempting to perform the dark arts, but with little luck. I could somewhat use the basic skill, life transfer, which was used for moving my own life essence around. Helpful for regulating internal health, not so much for combat though.

So I'm still at the Bronze Body rank.

Of course, it's not that I'm incompetent at learning but rather it's very different to the standardised arts that I've learnt before, but I'm sure that if I had a live subject I may perform better.

Most standardised arts relied on the fundamental external essences to perform an action, like my ranger techniques that I use in conjunction with my crossbow, but the dark arts mainly relied on esoteric essence varieties like charnel or plague. The vague, nigh intangible ones. So it was normal that the method to manipulate such essences were also greatly varied from the standard techniques.

Though I'm sure that once I get the hang of it, it'll be all good.

"I heard you asked the new guy to do something for ya'"

Oh yeah, "I asked him to teach Lazari common sense and be a good role model,"

"Isn't she a demon though?" Laffer didn't seem to get it. "How would a demon even learn?"

"You do realise that there are multiple types of demons, yes?"

"Wait, wha- ahem! I mean, of course I knew. Why wouldn't I know?"

You're digging yourself a hole here buddy.

"I was just wondering why you would want to teach her common sense,"

"That is because she appears to only have a demonic bloodline and nothing else. For all intents and purposes, she is a little girl aside from having a bit of demonic abilities. Therefore, it's best that she learn now lest she suffer later on,"

"Mm, yes, I thought the same as well,"

Damn. How thick is your skin?

Nonetheless, the new guy, as Laffer dubs him, has been doing a pretty good job. He's committed, passionate and ardent about the task I gave him, and he was also the one who was in charge of taking care of another girl in the cult. So the two have been learning together.

Looks like I asked the right guy after all.

"Good job new guy," I give him a thumbs up.

"What? B-but I was here before you were…" He grumbles. He must think that me being a neophyte expunches his title of new guy.

That is not the case.

Though I have to say, he's is an interesting fellow. In a different way to all the other people here. Apparently, he worked in orphanages and also as a tutor so he's pretty educated himself, as well as being adverse to crime and killing. Rather surprising to find such an upstanding citizen in one of the most wicked and vile cults there are.

Of course, this means that his personality is also on the milder side. Being a pushover essentially. So now I'm wondering if he's actually being blackmailed.

Well, maybe not blackmailed per se, but maybe he was afraid of the consequences of rejecting the invitation.

Hmm, that seemed more likely, but let's ignore his plight for now.

Anyways, Lazari!

She still looks dead on the inside —and outside— , but I'm also still willing to attribute it to demonic tendencies. She seemed to get along well with the other girl here, Sheen. And by getting along, I mean Lazari sometimes exchanged words with her. A big leap in growth if I had to say.

I'm not exactly sure what the new guy was teaching her, but from what I could draw from Lazari, was that he was teaching her common sense, like the alphabet, but also morality and ethics. And not even the weird kind that the cult has, but actually widely accepted and objective morals.

Not too sure whether that's a good thing, as she herself currently, from my understanding, has morals which conflict with the morals that the new guy's teaching her, so I'm gonna have to get him to stop that. That would only curb her mental development.

Though, aside from revising what I was taught the other day, there was really nothing else to do. Laffer likes to hide in trash cans and Wills won't gamble with me anymore, so I really have nothing to do.

"So, is this all you do here?"

I ask Laffer.

"Hmm, yeah, but if you wanna do somethin’ I'm pretty sure Lacer might need some help,"

Ah, finally something to do.

I'm getting bored of studying.